William S. Farish

President Bush named William S. Farish of Texas as his nominee for Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s in March 2001. The Senate confirmed his appointment on July 11, 2001, and he and his wife, Sarah, arrived in London two days later.

Mr. Farish is former President of W.S. Farish and Company, an investment firm in Houston. He has been owner of Lane’s End Farm, a 2,000-acre thoroughbred breeding facility in Versailles, Kentucky, since 1980. He is also former Chairman of Churchill Downs Incorporated, home of the Kentucky Derby.

Mr. Farish, who attended the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, began his career as a stockbroker at Underwood, Neuhaus and Company in Houston. He later became President of Navarro Exploration Company and was a founding Director of Eurus, Inc., a New York bank holding company, and of Capital National Bank in Houston. He is a past organizing member of the National Urban League-Houston chapter, and Chairman of the Houston Parks Board.